HIGHFILL — City council on July 11 approved the purchase of a line locator for the water and sewer department and remote monitoring software for the water department but declined to approve the purchase of a pickup truck to replace a totaled police department patrol vehicle and held off on any expenditures for repairs of a section of Aubrey Long Road where culverts wash out every time it rains.
Butch Wiand, Highfill's water and sewer department supervisor, asked permission from the council to spend $4,600 for a line locator from water department or city savings. According to Wiand, the locator is a tool he uses almost daily and the two the city has are very old and in need of replacement. To fail to properly locate a line when marking city lines could result in even greater expenses, according to Stacy Digby, Highfill's mayor. The council approved the expenditure from the city's savings account.
Also approved was the purchase of a computer system and hardware which allow for remote monitoring and control of the city's water system, including tank levels and water pressure. According to Wiand, the programmable logic controller software is "the brains of the system" and operates the system pump and monitors and lowers water pressure when needed during times when the city's water tank is down for wash out or repair and lines are pressurized by the city pump. The bid price, according to Wiand, was $6,800. The council approved the expenditure, with money coming from the city's savings. David Williamson voted against the measure, with Michelle Rieff, Wesley Evans and Mark White voting yes. Stacy Digby cast a vote in favor of the purchase to have a council majority. Toby Lester and Roger Hill were absent.
Blake Webb, Highfill's police chief, proposed the purchase of a Chevrolet Silverado to replace the department's Dodge pickup truck which was recently totaled in an accident with a horse. Webb proposed the 4-wheel drive truck because of the city's many unpaved roads and because of the high cost of purchasing a Chevrolet Tahoe. He said the vehicle cost would be $32,500 plus $350 for a towing package. Equipment to outfit the truck for the department was estimated at an additional $6,850. Webb proposed using the $15,800 the department had received from insurance for the totaled Dodge, another $5,000 from police savings and the balance of $18,550 coming from city savings.
The council was split, 2-2, with Michelle Rieff and David Williamson voting in favor of the purchase and Wesley Evans and Mark White voting no. Evans suggested the matter be discussed at a special budget meeting which was later set for 6:30 p.m. on July 27.
Webb told the council he currently has three full-time officers, six part-time officers and three reserve officers. Current vehicles in the fleet include a 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe with 89,000 miles; two 2007 Ford Crown Victorias which were given to the department, currently with 81,000 and 115,000 miles on them; a 2008 Dodge Durango with 73,000 miles (currently down for repairs); and the totaled Dodge truck. He said he thought the department needed to replace the Dodge pickup truck, and Mayor Digby agreed it should be replaced.
Webb said he was looking at the Chevy truck rather than at a Ford SUV because of the number of recalls on the Fords. He said using patrol cars hasn't worked well because of the rough gravel roads in the city.
Vernon Reams, street supervisor, said a portion of Aubrey Long Road within the city either needed to be repaired or closed because the road washes out every time it rains. He said the portion of road has two 36-inch culverts and the water doesn't run over the road but washes out the material around the culverts, causing holes in the road. He said one accident has already resulted from the problem. He said some holes in the culvert allow runoff water to wash away the road material and create holes in the road.
According to Reams, the estimated cost to fix the road would be $57,000 plus $5,000 to replace the culverts with a 4x6-foot box culvert. Reams said the county had once offered to help since the city road connects to the county road but he has not heard back from the county if any assistance will be made available.
Digby suggested the matter also be discussed at the upcoming budget meeting and that an engineer be consulted to be sure the repair plan will fix the problem.
General News on 07/19/2017